We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tia Jackson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tia, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
I’m not much of a risk-taker. I generally like to play it safe – however when I am passionate about something I must pray on it and follow my heart. Hence the birth of JohntinesBoutique.com. There’s a saying we make plans and God laughs, I think that what we call risk taking is inevitably our fate. I believe we all have special gifts and the onus is on us to live a life that utilizes those gifts and shares them with the world.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Johntines Boutique was birthed from an unfulfilled desire to covet fashionable plus size clothing. I would shop with my friends and be met with a corner in the back of a store. The selections were minimal and not appealing. Jokingly, after leaving a store I would tell my friends – watch I’m going to open a store one day and I’m going to sell plus sizes exclusively! Circa 2010 – Johntines Boutique was born ! I gave birth to my son May 2010 and utilized my summer off as a teacher to open a brick and mortar store in Brooklyn. We have since transitioned to e-commerce only .
Almost 15 years later, by Gods grace we are still around . Recently we launched our Valentines Day collection – “The Femme Fatale Collection” , it is full of bold reds, pinks, bodystockings and a multitude of pieces that embody the day of love. Next up will be our Spring Collection followed by our anniversary collection.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think having a strong foundation ( mentally & spiritually) is important, so that would be mindset. Business can be hard and entrepreneurs often spend many sleepless nights and countless hours pondering on how to improve, fix and progress. So that foundation is what helps you persevere. I also think its important to know when to step away from a task and delegate, pass it on to someone else – there’s no prize in doing it all yourself. The goal is to get it done – who said you have to be the one doing it all. Lastly, I think remembering your “why” is necessary. It will help you to push through during the times when you want to give up. What you said is so true, we have so many different voices on and off social media that’ll say do these 5 things or take these 7 steps to be successful – there is no formula, everyone’s journey looks different.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My mom is no longer with us but she instilled in me having a prayer life. It has been a tool that I’ve used incessantly to navigate all things good and all daunting task. I grew up around enterprising women – my aunt owned a garage and limousine service. I spent most of my summers at her garage answering phones and watching her handle just about all facets of her business. My mom had a catering company, “Touch of Elegance Catering” that she ran from home. I would assist her in the prep, delivery and serving. Both of these experiences helped develop my work ethic and I’m grateful to have had such positive experiences like those growing up. There’s a saying, ” Success is where opportunity meets preparation”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://JohntinesBoutique.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/JohntinesBoutique
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/JohntinesBoutique
Image Credits
AnaisJBeauty
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
